Australian Crime Stories
Australian Crime Stories is an international award-winning true crime TV series that delves into some of Australia's most infamous criminal cases. Hosted by investigative journalist Adam Shand, the show takes viewers behind the headlines with insights from police, journalists, victims, and criminals. It reveals the real stories behind notorious criminals and major crimes, including detailed reconstructions and police investigations.
Jonathan Dick, who became one of Australia's most wanted men for over two years after killing his brother with a sword in a Melbourne shopping centre. The episode covers the terror endured by the family living on his kill list and presents exclusive interviews with them.
Covers a violent and high-profile attack on the Victoria Police headquarters in central Melbourne in 1986. A car bomb exploded outside the Russell Street Police HQ, causing extensive damage and killing Constable Angela Taylor, the first Australian policewoman to be killed in the line of duty. The episode includes survivor interviews and insights from investigators who followed the forensic trail to identify and apprehend the man responsible for the bombing. The attack deeply affected Melbourne and changed the way forensic investigations were conducted in Australia
Focuses on the brutal execution of a naive wannabe gangster by Roger Rogerson and his accomplice Glen McNamara. It examines the dark underbelly of crime involving high-profile individuals connected to law enforcement and criminal activities. This episode reveals the chilling nature of crime and corruption, shedding light on the clandestine and dangerous world that Roger Rogerson and others inhabited, impacting the nation with their violent actions .
The episode investigates the mysterious disappearance of a powerful prison boss, David Prideaux, in Victoria's high country. Investigative journalist Adam Shand explores whether this disappearance is linked to a crime boss, uncovering allegations of adultery, conspiracies, and murder surrounding the case.
Jody Harris, a master con artist who swindled numerous men and women across Australia's eastern seaboard. Known for bluffing her way into police stations, charming officers, and using multiple disguises, Harris was a highly elusive criminal. The episode reveals the intense police chase to capture her, exposing the trail of fraud, theft, and deception she left behind.
Alphonse Gangitano, known as the "Black Prince of Lygon Street," was a notorious and lethal member of Melbourne's Carlton Crew criminal organization in the 1980s and 1990s. He was infamous for his violent behavior, gambling addiction, and heavy cocaine use. Gangitano became a prominent figure in Melbourne's criminal underworld, often engaging in brutal attacks and involved in serious criminal activities including extortion and connections to other crime figures like Jason Moran and Chopper Read.
Christopher Dale Flannery, known as "Mr Rent-a-Kill," was an alleged Australian contract killer active in the 1970s and 1980s. Growing up in Melbourne from a troubled working-class background, Flannery turned to a life of crime after a series of convictions beginning from a young age. He gained notoriety for being able to commit murders on contract, with police and criminal sources crediting him with up to a dozen killings.
The brutal and unsolved murder of Florence Broadhurst, a famous Australian wallpaper designer. Florence was beaten savagely with a piece of wood in her studio in Sydney in 1977 and her body was posed in a degrading way post-mortem. The crime scene suggested that she knew her attacker as there were two cups of tea made, one likely for the visitor.
Lenny McPherson, often dubbed Sydney's "Mr Big," was one of Australia's most notorious and powerful career criminals in the late 20th century. Born in 1921 in Sydney, he rose to control much of Sydney’s organized crime through activities such as robbery, illegal gambling, extortion, prostitution, and drug dealing. He was feared for his extreme brutality and was reputed to have committed or commissioned more murders than any other major criminal figure in the country.
Mr Cruel is the moniker given to an unidentified Australian serial child rapist who committed a series of attacks on young girls in Melbourne's northern and eastern suburbs during the late 1980s and early 1990s. He is strongly suspected as the murderer of a fourth girl, Karmein Chan, who was abducted at knifepoint in 1991 and later found dead. Mr Cruel was known for his meticulous planning: he carefully surveilled victims, left no forensic evidence, and disguised himself with a balaclava and gloves. His modus operandi included breaking into family homes, restraining parents, and abducting children, whom he sometimes held captive for hours of abuse before releasing them in specific locations.
Russell "Mad Dog" Cox was a notorious Australian armed robber and criminal, known for his violent nature and numerous high-profile crimes from the 1960s through the 1980s. Born Melville Peter Schnitzerling, Cox's troubled youth led him into petty crime early on, and eventually to more serious criminal activities including bank and security van robberies. He became infamous not only for his criminal exploits but also for his daring prison escapes, including being the only man to escape from Katingal, a supposedly escape-proof facility.